Shadows of Darkness
by silverdagor
Summary: Judai is faced with numerous shadow duels and doesn't know why. There is a dark secret in the shadow realm that is ready to be revealed... Pairings: Judai x Asuka
1. Chapter 1

Summary: A mysterious thing has appeared on Duelist Academy Island, and it seems that school and dueling tournaments are the least of Judai's worries. Pairings: Judai – Asuka. I cannot say anymore for danger of revealing too much (spoilers) about my story.

---------Notes--------

Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Yu-Gi-Oh GX. I only own the characters that have been made up. However, parts of names that are not original are Alpha and Lycan, which came from Artix's game AQ.

Also, I am bad at creating names for characters, so if you write a review do not say "You have dumb/lame/etc. names" because I already know.

When in a duel scene, words in italics are thoughts whereas words in ( ) are actions.

------------------------

-------Setting-----------

This story takes place during Judai's second year at Duelist Academy. Hayoto is no longer at Duelist Academy; however every other character is still there. Judai and Shou have been promoted to Ra Yellow and Misawa is now in Obelisk Blue, as is Asuka, Kaiser, and Fubuki.

--------------------------------

--------Characters---------

Judai

Shou

Misawa

Manjoume

Asuka

Chronos

Hayato

Ryo

Fubuki

Momoe

Junko

-------------------------------

Chapter 1: Shadow WereDeck

As the sun began rose, bringing forth a new day, a cloaked figure stood atop a cliff overlooking the horizon. "Soon it will begin…," it muttered. Then, as suddenly as the light touched the island, the figure was gone.

--------- _10 minutes before class starts_

"Get up Aniki! We are going to be late again!" shouted Shou.

Judai awoke with a start and glances at the clock.

"Uh oh, we better run. Good thing I was too lazy to change out of my uniform last night. Let's go Shou," Judai said as he rushed out the door while attempting to put his shoes on.

After class ended, Judai, Shou, and Misawa were heading back to their dorms after lunch when Fubuki ran up to them with a worried look on his face.

"Have any of you seen Asuka? I've been looking for her all morning and I can't find her. I am getting really worried," panted Fubuki.

Judai looked at him with concern and answered, "No we haven't, but she was in class this morning. The last time I saw her was when she was leaving class. She went off somewhere with Momoe and Junko. But don't worry; we'll help you look for her, right guys?"

"Definitely," Misawa and Shou replied in unison.

The four of them then split up, going in different directions to find Asuka.

--------------_8:00 PM, after countless hours of searching_

Judai continued through the forest, searching for Asuka and hollering her name. He hadn't received a response all day and was beginning to tire. He couldn't hear any of the others and knew they were far away. Unfortunately, he didn't know the way back out of the forest: he was lost.

After wandering aimlessly through the forest for some time, he noticed a thin golden piece of hair on the ground. He instantly recognized it as Asuka's and excitement filled him once more. Energetically, he began to shout for Asuka again. He then heard a rustle in the bushes a few yards in front of him.

"Asuka…? Is that you?" he whispered as he crept closer.

Suddenly, a black wraith-like figure emerged and stared straight at Judai. The area where the face should have been was completely black. He thought he could see a shallow outline of its face, but it was so dark that the lines seemed transparent.

"Who are you?" Judai asked in surprise.

Then, in an eerie crackled voice, it spoke, "My name is none of your concern, but you may call me Werechi. And if you ever want to see the girl again, you must duel me in a shadow game,"

Judai then noticed Asuka. She seemed to be unconscious and was laying a few feet behind Werechi on the grass, engulfed by a reddish sphere.

Judai: _I am going to have to beat this guy to save Asuka. And plus, what kind of man backs down from a challenge?_

"I accept your challenge. Duel!"

(A purple and black could emerges and engulfs the two duelists)

Judai – 4000 LP

Wraith – 4000 LP

Meanwhile, another cloaked figure was standing solitary on the same cliff that it had been earlier, perceiving the duel that was about to begin.

"My draw," shouted Judai. "Now I play E. Hero Clayman (800/2000) in defense mode and throw down a face-down. I end my turn."

Werechi: "That was pitiful. You call this dueling? I will show you what it means to be a real duelist,"

(Werechi draws a card. He then looks at Judai and laughs)

Werechi: "I play Werewolf Warrior (1600/1000) in attack mode and activate the equip card Lycan Slasher. This card increases the attack of a werewolf monster by 800 pts. Before I attack, I'll play one card face down. Now, Werewolf Warrior (2400/1000) attack Clayman!"

(Clayman is destroyed)

Judai: "Argh, oh well. Don't count me out just yet; I'm still getting warmed up. (Draws a card) Perfect! I summon E. Hero Sparkman (1600/1400). Next I'll activate the environment card skyscraper. It raises the attack points of all monsters with 'elemental hero' in their name, so E. Hero Sparkman's attack points are raised to 2600! Now, Sparkman attack Werewolf Warrior!"

(Werewolf Warrior is destroyed, but no LP damage is taken)

Judai:(confused) "What the… Your LPs are still at 4000!"

Werechi: (amused) "Oh, I'm sorry, did I forget to mention Werewolf Warrior's special ability? You see, whenever it is destroyed in battle, it negates all LP damage that would normally be dealt to me. Thus my LPs remain at 4000."

Judai: "It is a drawback, but I will not lose. I end my turn."

Werechi: "You fool, of course you will lose. And I will prove it! (Draws a card) I activate the magic card Card Destruction, which makes us send the cards in our hand to the grave yard and draw the same amount of cards again. (Judai and Werechi both dump their hands into the graveyard and draw new cards)

Judai: _Good thing I didn't have any cards of special use in my hand._

Werechi: "Now I activate Werewolf Reincarnation. This card works just like Monster Reborn, except that instead of bringing back 1 of any type of monster, I am allowed to resurrect 2 monsters, but they must be werewolves. And I know just the two to bring back: Werewolf Warrior (1600/1000) and Werewolf Lycan (1800/500), which was one of the monsters I discarded. Next I activate polymerization to fuse the two to form Alpha Werewolf (2800/1700). Finally, right before I attack I will play one more card face-down. So now, I attack E. Hero Sparkman with Alpha Werewolf!"

Judai: "I activate Mirror Force! It negates the attack and all monsters in attack mode are destroyed, so your Alpha Werewolf is destroyed!"

Werechi: "You amuse me… I suppose my wolf is gone and now I am in trouble right? Well before he is destroyed I activate his special ability. Whenever Alpha Werewolf is the target of a trap card, I am allowed to instantly destroy one of my opponent's monsters. The damage is still done to your LPs as if I attacked normally."

(Sparkman and Alpha Werewolf are both destroyed)

Judai – 3800

Werechi – 4000

Judai: "That is fine because soon I will return the favor! Now it's my turn (draws a card), and you know what? Your LP are about to take some serious damage. I play polymerization to fuse E. Hero Avion and E. Hero Burstinatrix to create E. Hero Flame Wingman. Now, because of skyscraper, Flame Wingman's attack is raised to 3100! Go Flame Wingman, attack his LPs directly!"

Werechi: "Well, it looks like you are quite the duelist aren't you? Sadly, you're not good enough. I activate my face-down card Werepyre Recovery. This card is activated whenever an opponent attacks my LPs directly. I just have to discard 1 werewolf monster from my hand to the graveyard and your attack heals me instead of hurting me."

Judai – 3800

Werechi – 7100

Judai: "Darn it. I play a face-down card and end my turn."

(Werechi draws a card)

Werechi: "Now I activate Call of the Pack. I am allowed to summon a werewolf monster with more than 4 stars without sacrifices from either my hand or my deck as long there are at least 2 werewolf monsters in the graveyard and if the difference between our LPs is more than 2000. Since I have three werewolf monsters in the graveyard, and, thanks to you, I have 3100 more LPs, I have met the requirements. Now behold my ferocious monster, Alpha Werewolf King (3100/2700)! Alpha Werewolf King has a special ability. (Begins to laugh maliciously) I am allowed to pay any amount of LP during any of my turns to raise Alpha Werewolf King's attack power. The number of LPs I sacrifice are added on to my beast's attack. I think I will pay 4000 for now (Judai – 3800/Werechi – 3100). It seems your last turn has helped me in so many ways (laughs evilly). This duel is over, so bid your body farewell Judai! Alpha Werewolf King (7100/2700) attack E. Hero Flame Wingman!"

----------------------------------- End of chapter 1

Will Judai be able to survive this attack? Will he be able to save Asuka? And who is this mysterious cloaked figure?

Read the next chapter to find out! Story will be updated anywhere from 2 days to a week later. I already have the next few chapters planned out, so you can expect the next couple chapters to be online soon.

Also, please review my story because I would appreciate feedback so I know what to do better and what to change. And as mentioned above, please do not write a review that says I have dumb names such as Werechi because I already stated that I am not very creative when it comes to inventing names.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: You may want to read the end of the last chapter to refresh your memory as to what was happening and to get into the feel of the duel because this is a direct continuation of the duel between Werechi and Judai.

Also, I invented a few cards for Judai.

--------------------------Chapter 2: The Beast Revealed

Judai: "I'm not out of this duel yet! I activate the trap card I set down earlier, Hero Illusion. As long as there is an E. Hero on the field, this card stops your attack."

Alpha Werewolf King's attack is stopped. Werechi seems to remain silent, but then a he laughs

Werechi: "Well aren't you lucky to have played that trap card. But it has only saved you for one turn. Next turn you will be finished! I end my turn."

-----Current Duel Status-----

Judai – 3800 LPs

Werechi – 3100 LPs

Werechi has 1 face-down card and Alpha Werewolf King (7100/2700) on the field

Judai has Flame Wingman (3100/1800) and skyscraper

-----------------------------------

Judai draws a card

Judai:_ I will win because I have to save Asuka. _Draws a card_ Excellent, this guy, or whatever it is, is going down._ "Alright, here I go. I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Draws 2 cards Alright, first I'll activate De-fusion to split Flame Wingman into E. Hero Avion and E. Hero Burstinatrix. Then I will activate Monster Reborn to bring back E. Hero Sparkman. Next I will summon Bubbleman in attack mode. Now, since Bubbleman, Avion, Burstinatrix, and Sparkman are on the field, I can use my second polymerization to fuse them together, forming the E. Hero Elementrix (3100/2500). Next I equip him with Elemental Reaper, a special equip card that only works on Elementrix and doubles his attack. Then, skyscraper adds 1000 attack for a grand total of 7200 attack points. Now, go Elementrix, attack with Elemental Slash! Say goodbye to Alpha Werewolf King!"

Werechi: "That is impressive, a 7200 attack point monster. But you forgot about my face down card! I activate Were Protection. If the target of an attack is a werewolf monster, it is negated. And so my werewolf lives, which is bad news for you since, might I remind you, I can sacrifice LPs to raise Alpha Werewolf King's attack points on any of my turns?"

Judai: "Yeah, yeah, I don't care. I will win this duel no matter what so you can power-up that wolf of yours all you want because it will never be able to beat me. I think I'll end my turn by playing a face-down. Your turn now." _Wow, this is great. The last time I've had this much fun dueling was with Ryo._

Werechi: draws a card I will sacrifice another 200 LP's to raise Alpha Werewolf King's attack points to 7300. I will play two cards face-down. Now, attack Elementrix!"

Judai – 3800

Werechi – 2900

Judai: "It seems that this time, you forgot about my face-down card. I activate Effect Destruction, which activates whenever a monster attacks with an effect. By paying 1000 LPs, I can cancel the effect of any monster on the field, and I choose Alpha Werewolf King. Now your monster's attack is 3100 and your LPs are back to 7100, which means your Alpha Werewolf King is destroyed and you lose 4100 LPs."

Werechi: "In that case, I activate my face-down card Sacrificial Fusion Barrier. First, I must pay 2000 LPs. (Judai – 2800/Werechi – 1000) This card then stops my monsters from being destroyed. But that isn't all it does. Now I am also allowed to summon a fusion monster without the use of polymerization as long as the monster cards needed are somewhere in either my hand or graveyard. Thus, I summon Alpha Werewolf (2800/1700) back to the field in attack mode. Next I will activate my second face-down card, Werewolf Summoner. This card can only be activated if my LPs are 1000 points or less. Since my LPs are 1000, I am allowed to activate it. This card allows me to summon two monsters in one turn, but the second one must be a werewolf monster. Now, I summon Werewolf Warrior (1600/1000) in attack mode.

Judai: "What good will that do? Even if you summon five monsters in one turn, none of them compare to my Elementrix. You've definitely lost it."

Werechi: laughs uncontrollably "You think so?" He is barely able to contain his amusement as he is speaking / suddenly he stops laughing and speaks in a strange growling sound "You fool! Is it possible that you can be this naïve? You little brat, I will teach you respect." Then mumbles in a barely audible voice "I'd rather eat you though…" Speaks loudly again "I play the spell card Werepack of the Wild, my strongest spell card of all. This will be your demise. This card can only be activated when there is at least one Alpha wolf monster and at least two other werewolves on the field. By cutting my life points in half, I can combine the three werewolves into a pack. When attacking or being attacked, they can attack or defend together and the attack strength will be the sum of the attack points of all the monsters in the pack. They can also attack separately, and take down three separate monsters if I desire. Since my battle phase is already over, I can't attack this turn but next turn you will be destroyed by the Werewolf Pack (7500/5400)." Starts laughing maliciously again "I told you that your soul will soon belong to the shadows!"

Judai – 2800

Werechi – 500

Judai: "I've already told you, I will not lose. I still a card to draw, which brings new possibilities with it." _I just hope it's the card I need…_ "Well, here it goes. Draws a card and swings his hand back when he does, then brings it front of him as he flips it over. As soon as he sees it he smiles You see, Werechi, you have a strong deck and all, but it contains a serious flaw."

Werechi: "Oh? And what is that? Since, obviously, that flaw is small enough not to matter since I am about to defeat you."

Judai: "You are wrong. You are, however, right about one thing; this duel is about to be over. Your deck's flaw is that you sacrifice your LPs too readily. Because of this, you are extremely vulnerable to direct attacks on your LPs. And now I will prove this to you. First, I play the card De-fusion. You remember this card right? It splits my Elementrix back into Avion, Burstinatrix, Bubbleman, and Sparkman. Next I will summon my second E. Hero Clayman to the field. Then I activate Emergency Provisions to gain 1000 LPs by sacrificing Skyscraper and then play the environment card Fusion Gate. This card lets us fuse monsters without using a polymerization card and I choose to fuse Clayman and Burstinatrix to form E. Hero Rampart Gunner (2000/2500), whom I will play in defense mode. And his special effect is what will take you down. He smiles and stares right at the dark space where Werechi's face would be When Rampart Gunner is in defense mode, he can attack the opponent's LPs directly, but the damage done is only half of his attack. But since your LPs are so low, that is more than enough to wipe you out."

Werechi: his voice is full of panic and uncertainty "No… it isn't possible… your Rampart Gunner will do 1000 points of direct damage! NO, I couldn't have lost, it just isn't conceivable!"

Judai: "E. Hero Rampart Gunner, attack Werechi's LPs directly!"

Werechi: "NOOOOOOOOO"

Judai – 3800

Werechi – 0

-------_end of duel_

Judai does his winning pose and watches as the shadow creatures begin to engulf the figure. Suddenly, the hood falls down and just before Werechi is devoured by the spirits, Judai gets a glimpse of his face.

Judai: _What in the world? Did I just see what I think I saw? That face wasn't human… it was far from it. That _thing_ looked like it was a wolf!_

As the purple and black atmosphere disappeared, Judai saw Asuka a few feet in front of him. The red sphere seemed to be evaporating and slowly, Asuka began to move. She was regaining consciousness as fast as the sphere was vanishing. Once she was free, Asuka was fully awake and looked up to see Judai staring down at her. She hastened to get up and words began pouring out of her.

"Judai, I can't explain how but I could see your duel! It was strange because it seemed like it was dream, yet so real. I knew you were dueling right then and that it was a shadow duel! But you saved me Judai, and not for the first time either. Thank you Judai, thank you so much. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you," Asuka cried.

"Hey, don't worry about it! It's what friends do, right?" said Judai.

"Oh stop being modest. But seriously Judai, thank you!" she said and came up to him. The two embraced each other as Asuka continued praising and thanking Judai. Suddenly, Asuka seemed to realize she had hugged him and swiftly broke away

Asuka was blushing and was as red as a tomato whereas Judai was just too embarrassed to do anything.

"Ummm… sorry… I … uhh…," stammered Asuka.

Judai: _Well, now that we hugged I suppose this is as good a time as any to find out if she really likes me or not. I'm not sure but Misawa says she does…_

"Uhhh... Asuka… I want to ask you something. Do you… ehem… do you-"

"Yes!" Asuka exclaimed and turned red again. "I will go out on a date with you." She suddenly beamed at him and it appeared as though she would cry.

"Huh? What do you mean? What the heck is a 'date'?" questioned Judai.

Suddenly Asuka went from tender to angry and embarrassed. "You…! What do…? I… YOU IDIOT! AND FOR THE RECORD, I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE DATE!" she exclaimed as she went red again. Her face looked like it was about ready to explode.

Asuka: _I suppose that is what I get for jumping to conclusions. It's just that I thought that he actually had some feelings for me and that not all of his heart was devoted to dueling._

Judai began to laugh uncontrollably, almost to the point of tears. "I was just joking Asuka! I know what a date is. I mean I might not have known what a fiantay or whatever it is called was on the day of the tennis match, but I do know some stuff about girls. So, since you took back what you said about accepting the invite, I'll ask again. Will you go out with me?"

Asuka blushed and was smiled again. _Wow, what an immature, yet interesting, dork. But I suppose that is what makes him attractive._

"Yes Judai, I will," she said. And then she started to giggle. "But I just realized that there is one problem."

"W-What is it?" Judai asked, a little crestfallen.

"We are on a duelist island, Duel Academy Island to be exact. This island doesn't have any restaurants or private eateries. There are only student facilities here," she said as she continued giggling.

"Oh… yeah I guess you're right. Hmmmmm… I have an idea. Why don't we meet after dinner tomorrow and walk around the island or something? We just have to eat a little early," Judai suggested hopefully.

"That's a great idea Judai! I guess you can come to the Obelisk Blue dorm around six. I'll wait right in front the entrance, and then and we can walk together," she responded.

"Cool, so that's settled," said Judai just as he heard Fubuki somewhere off in the distance calling Asuka's name. "In the meantime, I think we should hurry and get out of here. Your brother, Fubuki, has been worried sick all day and I hear him calling!"

"Oh my god! I forgot about him! You're right, we should definitely hurry back!" Asuka said.

With that, the new couple ran off towards the sound of the voice where they would soon find Fubuki.

Meanwhile, off in the distance the mysterious figure continued to watch Judai as he ran off.

"Well… it seems I've underestimated you Judai. I am surprised you were able to defeat Werechi. But not to worry, your soul will soon belong to shadows, and I know the perfect opponents to send after you," it said.

Then, suddenly, a gust of wind rushed up in a spiral and the figure disappeared.

----------------_end of chapter 2_

I know it got a little corny at the end there, but I'm an Asuka x Judai fan, so I wrote it

Once again, I ask that you review my work. I would greatly appreciate it. Just remember what I said about criticizing names! Feel free, however, to criticize anything else.


	3. Chapter 3

---------- Chapter 3: Horns of Darkness

The previous night's events had left Judai exhausted the next morning. He could barely get up in time for class. Fortunately for him, he was able to get plenty of extra sleep during class. By the time class was over, he was refreshed and ready to go for the rest of the day. Judai couldn't concentrate all throughout the morning because all he could think about was Asuka and tonight. He could hardly wait for 6:00, which made the day seem even longer. He had just finished lunch and was hanging out in front of the academy with Shou.

"Judai, you haven't been yourself lately. You seem so distracted. What is bothering you?" asked Shou.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," replied Judai.

"I know you well enough to know it isn't nothing. Come on Judai, tell me. Please?" wined Shou.

"Alright, I'll tell you. But you need to keep it a secret and not blabber it to everyone around school, got it?" said Judai.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just tell me already!" answered Shou.

Judai clears his throat, and in a low, barely audible voice, he said, "I'm… well… ehem."

"Come on, spit it out already!" said Shou, clearly eager to know what was happening.

"I've got a date with Asuka tonight," he finished in a rush.

"What? You're not serious are you?" questioned Shou. Then, after seeing Judai's expression he exclaimed, "That is great Judai! I've got to go and tell Misawa about this. He'll be so amused and surprised, although he did know Asuka had a crush on you." With that Shou ran off back to the academy to find Misawa.

"Wait, come back Shou!" yelled Judai after him. "You said you wouldn't tell anyone! Whatever, there's no stopping you now…" Judai then began to head back to the academy since his only company ditched him.

Meanwhile, Asuka, Momoe, and Junka were heading towards the Obelisk Blue dorms when Junka asked, "Hey Asuka, I was just wondering, what happened yesterday? I heard a lot of rumors about you being kidnapped or something and I never got around to asking you in person."

Asuka began to recount the events of the previous night without pause until she reached the end of her story, right after Werechi was defeated. Then she blushed and quickly added, "And then Judai asked me out."

As soon as Asuka said that, Momoe and Junka looked at her in pure amusement.

"I knew it! I just knew you had a crush on Judai! I knew since the day you first dueled him," said Junka.

"Wait a minute, I didn't even tell you my answer! All I said was that he asked me out," replied Asuka.

"You don't need to tell us, we know your answer already, so don't even try to lie and say that your answer was no," countered Momoe, giggling as she spoke.

"Fine, I did say yes. But don't start telling other people about this okay Momoe? You too Junka," said Asuka. However, before she even finished her sentence Momoe and Junka had already run in two different directions with looks of glee on their faces.

------------_Shortly under an hour later----------_

Judai and Asuka met up at the entrance to the dueling arena.

"Oh, hey Asuka," said Judai, slightly blushing. "Are you going in to watch the duel between Manjoume and some other student? I think it is almost over though."

"Yes, I am. Momoe, I'm sure, is already here because of her obsession with Manjoume. And here come Shou and Misawa," replied Asuka.

Shou and Misawa walk up to them and usher them into the arena.

"Hurry up or you'll miss the whole duel! It is almost over. Oh and by the way, good luck on your guys' date tonight," said Misawa. He and the rest of them sat down in empty seats next to Momoe and Junka and watched the remainder of the duel. Manjoume had XYZ Dragon Cannon on the field and his opponent had 7 Colored Fish and one face-down card. Manjoume's LPs are at 1500 and his opponent had 1800.

Manjoume: "My turn now! Draws a card Now I summon V Tank in attack mode. I activate the card Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face-down card. Now, go XYZ Dragon Cannon (2400), attack 7-colored Fish (1800)! The opponent's LPs drop to 1200 And finally, go V Tank! Attack his LPs directly! The opponent's LPs drop to 0"

Manjoume then walks of the Dueling area and goes to the large group of friends that just came down to the ground.

"Hello Asuka. I hear you have a date with Judai tonight," said Manjoume, rather sourly.

Asuka blushed and stared at Momoe and Junka, annoyed that they told Manjoume. Then another group of students that Asuka vaguely knew walked by and made more comments about her date.

"Momoe and Junka, how many people did you two tell?" demanded Asuka, furious that they revealed such private information.

"We only told one person, honestly! I guess that one person just started spreading the news… sorry Asuka," said Momoe, cowering behind Junka.

"And how did you know about it Manjoume?" asked Judai.

"I overheard some guys in Slipher Red talking about it. One of them said Ryo told them," grumped Manjoume.

Suddenly Judai turned on Shou and asked sharply, "Shou, who did you tell?"

"I only told Misawa, Aniki," answered Shou.

"Well… ummm… I did tell a couple of people about that though, including Ryo," mumbled Misawa.

"Well that is just great. In just one hour after our date was revealed, every person in this academy seems to know about it!" exclaimed Asuka.

Then Fubuki came sprinting up to the group. Panting, he said "Asuka, what's this I hear about you kissing Judai?"

Suddenly, Asuka turned bright red and marched out of the arena. Judai decided it was probably best not to go after her, although he hoped she would still go out with him, despite the rumors that seemed to be going around.

After a long afternoon, it was finally time for Judai's date. He started walking to the Obelisk Blue dorm when he realized he was still wearing his uniform. It was too late to turn back now because he was only a minute or two away from the Obelisk Blue dorms. If he went back to change he'd be late by at least twenty minutes, so he trudged on, hoping Asuka would wear her uniform too. Soon, he caught his first glimpse of Asuka standing in front of her dorm, and to his surprise and contentment, she was also wearing her Obelisk uniform.

"Judai! Over here!" yelled Asuka as she began running towards him.

"Hey Asuka. So shall we go?" he asked. And with a nod from Asuka, they began walking into the forest, arm in arm, towards a cliff that overlooked the ocean and the island's port.

Then, suddenly a pair of horns came jetting out of a bush nearby, stopping inches from Judai's forehead. And just beside the horns was a pair of gleaming, red eyes that stared straight into Judai's. He wasn't sure if it was this creature that spoke, but either way there was no mistaking what was said. "Duel me in a shadow game or that girl dies!"

Judai was about to refuse, thinking this was some joke being played on them when suddenly the horns shifted so that they were touching, and slightly prodding, Asuka's forehead.

Asuka went rigid and spoke softly, as if afraid that if she spoke too loudly the horns would pierce her, "Go for it Judai. You are a great duelist and you can beat whoever this is easily. I'll be fine."

Then it was silent and no one spoke. All that could be heard was the harsh breathing of the horned creature. Then, still anxious, Judai gave his answer.

"Alright, Game On!" yelled Judai, and as soon as the words were out of his mouth a purplish cloud erupted around Asuka, the creature, and Judai. A few meters in front of him, he could vaguely see the outline of a human, but he could see that the person was wearing a duel disc. Although the horns remained in front of Asuka, the pair of eyes was now where the person was. He also knew it had to be a male by the sound of the person's voice.

"Prepare to be crushed," he hissed.

Judai – 4000

Red-eyed person – 4000

Meanwhile, far off in a dark chamber a figure enveloped in its cloak was speaking to a small man who was wrapped in a purple robe and kneeling before it. "Go, my servant, and watch over Judai's duel. However, I do not want you to interfere; just make sure all goes according to plan. If it seems for some reason Judai has refused the duel or defeats his opponent, you are to report to me immediately. Understood?"

"Yes, my lord. And if the boy discovers our plan…?"

"I doubt that should be a problem. He is too dimwitted to see through it. However, I have learnt to never take chances, and so I send this with you," said the figure as a knife materialized on the floor just in front of the kneeling man. "If the need arises, use it. And I trust you understand how to use it because we need that boy's soul, not a lifeless body."

"Yes master, I understand completely," said the man. He then stood up and quickly raced out of the chamber to reach the site of Judai's duel."

"Judai, I hope you enjoyed this day because it was your soul's last free day. By the break of dawn your soul will be trapped in the catacombs of the shadows."

As the man ran to the duel scene, he began wondering if his motives were strong enough to justify what he was doing. He was involved with a group that stole souls and threatened other people's lives. Strangely, however, he felt no remorse over the actions that he committed. In fact, he enjoyed his work and wanted to see the shadows emerge from their darkness. Not even he, the leader's personal and most trusted servant, knew the true motives and desires of his master. But what he did know was that one of the side-effects would aide him immensely, for once the shadows were released, the shadows and humans would be united in one dimension and he could be with the soul he lost to the shadow realm. He had to free that soul, no matter what. He felt reenergized and grew confident in his cause once more, feeling foolish for ever doubting his motives. Right now, he had a job to do, and he intended to do it. He quickened his pace and, before the hour was up, he reached the site of the duel just in time to witness the cloud that was the shadow realm emerge from nothingness to envelope the girl and the duelists.

He could still see the duel within the shadows because of his shadow eyes. They were a gift from his master and allowed him to view the shadow realm from this world. These eyes, which also belonged to his master, were only a small portion of his master's true power and they only gave a slight glimpse as to the control his master wielded over the shadow realm and everything within it. He knew that once Judai's soul belonged to the shadows, his master's power would be limitless. The possibilities were endless and barely imaginable. He knew that Judai's soul would definitely belong to the shadows, sooner or later, because once his master sets its mind on something, his master is always successful. Judai's soul was as good as gone because there was no escaping the wrath of his master. No one could escape, including himself, despite the numerous and pitiful attempts he made.

---------------------------------------_ End of chapter 3_

The next chapter may take a while to be written (approx. 2-4 days) because I haven't really thought about it yet. The first three chapters were up quickly since I knew exactly what I wanted to write. Also, the weekend is over so it is back to school tomorrow . Right now, I'm still trying to think of a good theme for the red-eyed guy's deck.

Not much else to say about this chapter, since everything is self-explanatory and I have no notes to add that are not mentioned in previous chapters.

P.S. The whole beginning to this chapter was AsukaxJudai since last chapter ended with the date thing, but there won't be so much in the later chapters since the focus here is the plot, not the couple. They are unimportant and insignificant in comparison to the other parts and are only a side thing.

P.S. P.S. But I do still enjoy writing those scenes, or else I wouldn't write them in the first place. I am a loyal and determined AsukaxJudai fan and am also a loyal and determined critic of those obsessors who write fanfics with absolutely no duels and are solely about intimacy between Asuka and Judai and do not reflect Yu-Gi-Oh at all.

P.S. P.S P.S. Maybe I should scratch that part about "not much else to say" since I was able to come up with three P.S.'s and the end notes for this chapter are longer than any other's.


	4. Chapter 4

------------_ Author's Notes_

I apologize for the delay in writing this chapter. It took a long time, not because I hit writers block or anything, but because I simply could not find the time to write it. I, however, am pleased to say that once I did find the time, I really started to write. This chapter is much longer than the other ones.

Hopefully, I will have more time to write and it won't take another week and a half to get chapter 5 up.

Anyway, enough of my notes because you probably want to start reading the chapter now, so enjoy!

----------------------Chapter 4: The Power of Mythology

Judai: Alright, I'll go first. (Draws a card) I summon E. Hero Sparkman (1600/1200) in attack mode. Next I'll throw down 2 face-downs and end my turn.

Red-eyed person: (draws a card) Hmph… I might as well introduce myself now because I doubt I'll have a chance later on if you keep playing like this. My name is Demius and that creature over there holding your female friend captive is Aroc. Anyway, with that pathetic deck of yours, I'm surprised you defeated Werechi.

Judai: Wait a minute, how do you know Werechi? Are you both part of some group of people that duel in shadow games or something?

Demius: That is none of your business. Now keep quiet and prepare to feel my wrath.

Judai: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just bring it!

Demius: (chuckles lightly) You are quite cocky for someone who is about to lost their soul. Oh well, it will just please me more to lock your soul away. I will start by summoning Baby Minotaur (1200/800). Next I activate the spell card Twin Summons. This allows me to special summon monsters from my hand or deck with the same name as a monster on the field, and it just so happens I have two more Baby Minotaurs in my deck. (summons 2 Baby Minotaurs) Next I will activate Tribute Summoner, which allows me to normal summon a second monster, as long as I sacrifice a monster on the field. So I will sacrifice one Baby Minotaur, and then offer two more as tributes to summon Bull Minotaur (2700/2000) in attack mode. And before I attack, I think I will activate Black Vortex. It is similar to Dark Hole, except it destroys all magic and trap cards on the field instead of monsters. Now, go Bull Minotaur, attack E. Hero Sparkman!

Judai: 2900

Demius: 4000

Judai: Well guess what. By sending my magic cards to the graveyard, you activated one of my traps: Replacement Resurrection. When this trap card is sent to the graveyard, it prevents my monsters from being destroyed that turn, but I still take the LP damage. Well I guess it is my turn now, let's see what I can do. (draws a card) _Hmmm… I wonder what I can do. I could use polymerization to fuse my E. Hero Clayman with Sparkman, but that wouldn't do any good because that bull has 2700 attack points. After this Pot of Greed, maybe I will get something good._ I activate the magic of Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards. _Excellent, Demius' bull is in for a beating._ I activate polymerization to fuse E. Hero Sparkman with E. Hero Clayman, bringing forth E. Hero Lightning Giant (2400/2100). Next I will activate the field card Skyscraper. This card boosts my hero's attack points to 3400. Now I can activate his special ability, which instantly destroys monsters whose original attack points are lower than his. (Bull Minotaur is destroyed) Go Lightning Giant, attack Demius's LPs directly.

Judai: 2900

Demius: 600

Demius: (laughs as he draws a card) Impressive move, but not still not nearly as good as the one I'm about to pull. First I summon Guardian Phoenix (3000/1200), and I can because his special ability, which is the ability to be summoned without a sacrifice, is activated when the opponent has a monster whose attack is greater than 2300. Then I will activate the spell card Daimyo Nae the Cure Master. This card heals LPs equal to original attack points of your weakest monster plus original attack points of my weakest monster. This means that I get 5400 LPs. Sadly, you get half of the amount that I receive, giving you 2700 LPs.

Judai: 5600

Demius: 6000

Judai: Wow that was a pretty impressive magic card. _This is the one of the best duels I've been in because of all these sweet cards I'm seeing. Not to mention that phoenix looks awesome._

Asuka: Remember Judai, you are dueling for your soul. It isn't just fun and games so at least try to understand that, although I don't think you will ever be serious about the threat while dueling.

Judai suddenly turned towards Asuka. He had completely forgotten about her in the midst of the duel. He was about to reply, but was interrupted.

Demius: Will you shut up? Stupid girl… Aroc, if she interferes with our duel again, make sure to slay her on the spot.

He was answered with a sharp grunt from Aroc and a yelp from Asuka.

Judai: Okay, no need to get rough. Just hurry up so I can defeat you.

Demius: Fat chance… anyway, so what was I doing? Oh yes, now I remember. I activate another Tribute Summoner magic card. Obviously I am not about to sacrifice my phoenix, as you may think, because there is something about Tribute Summoner that I haven't told you. I can also offer LPs equal to the attack points of the monster that I want to summon. I summon Stymphilian Bird (1800/900), so my LPs drop by 1800. This activates Guardian Phoenix's other ability. For every mythical bird monster on the field, Guardian Phoenix gains 500 attack points. Now, Guardian Phoenix (3500/1200) attack Lightning Giant (3400/2100)! (Lightning Giant is destroyed) Go Stymphilian Bird, attack his LPs directly!

Judai: 3700

Demius: 4200

Judai: Alright then, I will still take that phoenix down. _Somehow_. (draws a card) I will first play Wroughtweiler in defense mode. Then I'll throw down a face-down and end my turn.

Demius: (draws a card) I activate Twin Summons. I'm sure you remember this card, as it wasn't too long ago that I played it. I have 2 more Guardian Phoenixes in my deck, so they are summoned to the field. Now I have a total of 4 mythical birds, so each of my phoenixes gain 1500 attack points. Now, Stymphilian Bird, attack Wroughtweiler!

Judai: You just activated Wroughtweiler's special ability. Whenever he is sent to the graveyard, I can take 1 polymerization and 1 E. Hero card from the graveyard and put it into my hand, so I pick E. Hero Sparkman.

Demius: Oh well, I will finish you off this turn anyway. Guardian Phoenix (4500/1200) attack Judai's LPs directly!

Judai: I activate my face down card Sacrificial Barrier. As long as I discard 1 card, I can activate it. This card causes an attacking monster to be instantly destroyed. The damage, however, is still done. Fortunately for me, Sacrificial Barrier also makes the attack heal me.

Judai: 8200

Demius: 4200

Demius: No matter, I still have 2 Guardian Phoenixes left, each now with 4000 attack points. I will attack with the remaining two, dealing a massive blow to your LPs. You may have bought yourself one more turn with that trap card, but in the end it won't matter because next turn you will be finished.

Judai: 200

Demius: 4200

Judai: We'll see about that. (draws a card) I activate the card Monster Reborn to bring E. Hero Clayman back to the field. Then I will use polymerization to fuse him with Burstinatrix and Bubbleman! This forms the Rampart Mudman (2200/4000), whom I will place in defense mode. This creature is my ultimate defense. Next I will activate his special ability. When Rampart Mudman is in defense mode, he can attack the opponent's LPs directly, but only half damage is dealt. Since Skyscraper is still in play, and you have a monster with higher attack points, Rampart Mudman's attack is 3200, so you lose 1600 LPs. Next I will summon Sparkman (2600/1200) in attack mode, and I attack Stymphilian Bird (1800/900).

Judai: 200

Demius: 1800

Judai: Lastly, I will activate emergency provisions and sacrifice my face-down card.

Judai: 1200

Demius: 1800

Demius: Not bad, I see that you are still in this duel and you intend to fight until the finish. So be it, for I have no problem because it has been a long time since I have had a source of amusement. You will make excellent fun. Now, prepare thyself for oblivion!

Meanwhile, as the duel raged on, a man enveloped in a shrewd cloak was crouched in a nearby bush, observing the duel. He seemed to suddenly notice the girl standing just within his arm's reach, intently watching the progress of the duel, just as he was. Then he noticed the creature standing next to her. The first thing he noticed was the pair of horns. In fact, in the darkness, it was the only thing he could see of the creature. The moment he laid his eyes on the set of horns, he recognized the owner – Aroc. "Of course, I should have realized Aroc would be here as well. Demius never goes anywhere without Aroc. It is as if he feels insecure without Aroc, but it is none of my business, so I shall leave well enough alone. My priority is to make sure this duel goes properly," he muttered under his breath. He quickly discarded his thoughts and turned his attention back to the duel.

Demius: (draws a card) First, I will activate the card Monster Reborn and bring back Guardian Phoenix. It is a shame you didn't bring my creature back with your Monster Reborn, but I suppose you hero would have been just as much use, since you have no mythological birds to power up Guardian Phoenix. Next, I will sacrifice Stymphilian Bird to summon Cyclops Warrior (2000/1700). Then I will activate the magic card Spartan Summoning Horn. This card requires that I skip my battle phase, but lets me summon a second monster to the field, and I choose Stymphilian Bird (1800/900). I will play one card face-down and end my turn.

Judai: Well, it looks like you have no more cards left in your hand, but I guess it doesn't matter when you have those monsters on the field. (draws a card) My turn, and for your information, I intend to take at least 1 of your high leveled monsters down. I activate the magic card Raegiki! This magic card destroys every monster on your side of the field!

Demius: Wow, what a lucky draw. But I'm afraid it will take more than luck to win this duel. Every monster except Cyclops Warrior is destroyed because one of Cyclops Warrior's special effects is that it can't be destroyed by magic cards that are activated directly from the opponent's hand. Cyclops Warrior also protects 1 other monster on the field, so 1 of my Guardian Phoenixes lives.

Judai: Oh well, I will still destroy both of your monsters. Go E. Hero Sparkman (2600/1200), attack Cyclops Warrior (2000/1700)!

Demius: I activate my face down card, Wobaku. This card stops my monsters from being destroyed and forces you to end your turn. I, however, still take LP damage.

Judai: 1200

Demius: 1200

Demius: My turn now. (draws a card) Well, my Guardian won't be much use anymore with a base of 3000 attack points because your Rampart Mudman will blast it to shreds. And so, I sacrifice it to summon yet another Cyclops Warrior. Cyclops Warrior's special ability now activates, since there are at least two Cyclops Warriors on the field. For half my LPs, I am allowed to sacrifice one Cyclops Warrior to draw 5 new cards, and then sacrifice the other to summon another monster without tributes. Be thankful I didn't have a third Cyclops Warrior out, for that would have been devastating for you. Anyway, I summon the first of my five ultimate monsters, Legendary Hydra (1000/1000) to the field. Then I activate the magic card Rampaging Carnage. This card, which can only be used on beasts, triples the attack of a selected monster until the end of my turn. Now Legendary Hydra (3000/1000), destroy E. Hero Sparkman (2600/1200)!

Judai: 800

Demius: 600

Demius: I will play one card face-down and end my turn.

Judai: Okay, first I draw a card (draws) then I summon E. Hero Avion in defense mode. I then activate Rampart Mudman's special ability, to finish this duel!

Demius: I activate my face-down card Enchanted Javelin. This card simply heals damage equal to the monster's attack, and since you only do ½ damage, I gain a net value of 1100 LPs. Too bad you didn't destroy Legendary Hydra, and you'll see why when it is my turn.

Judai: 800

Demius: 1700

Judai: Darn, oh well. I play one card face-down and end my turn. _Dang, no more cards left in my hand. I'm really in trouble now. I have to win, or else I will lose my soul, not to mention something bad might happen to Asuka._

Demius: My turn. I summon Heirosphinx (1600/1000) in attack mode. Next, I will attack E. Hero Avion (1000/1000) with Legendary Hydra (1000/1000).

Judai: What is the point of that? Avion's defense is equal to Hydra's attack.

Demius: (laughs maliciously) Wrong because Legendary Hydra has a special ability. You didn't honestly think a normal monster with a measly 1000 attack and defense was one of my ultimate monsters did you? The effect of Legendary Hydra is that it grows one more head for every monster it destroys. Since it destroyed E. Hero Sparkman, Legendary Hydra has two heads. Each head gives my beast 1000 attack and defense, so my hydra's points are now 2000/2000. Thus, your Avion is destroyed! Since Legendary Hydra just killed another monster, his points are 3000/3000!

Judai: _Dang it, I'm in deep trouble now. I don't even know how many heads that hydra can grow, assuming it has a limit, so I can't throw monsters in defense mode every turn or that hydra will keep getting stronger and eventually destroy Rampart Mudman._

Demius: I'll play one card face down and end my turn

Judai: (draws a card) I will start by summoning another Wroughtweiler in defense mode. Next I will activate the magic card Hungry Pot, which lets me draw 5 cards. I then have to discard 2 cards. I activate Rampart Mudman's special ability again, and since you have a monster whose attack is higher than my E. Hero Rampart Mudman, Skyscraper raises his attack once again, to 3200, so you lose 1600 LPs. I play one card face-down and end my turn.

Judai: 800

Demius: 100

Demius: (draws) I will start by activating Heirosphinx's special ability. If in the previous turn he didn't attack, I am allowed to special summon any mythical monster from my deck or hand whose attack is 1500 or less, and I choose to summon Twin-Headed Fire Chimera (1500/1500). His special ability gives him 500 extra attack and defense points per mythical creature, other than himself, on my side of the field. He also has the ability to attack twice in one turn. Now my Chimera (2500/2500) is relatively strong, but he will soon become even stronger. Since this was a special summon, I can still summon a monster. I sacrifice Heirosphinx to summon my third ultimate creature, Iron Colossus (900/3000) in defense mode. His special ability is that at the end of every one my turns, he gains 300 defense points. I am also allowed to sacrifice any amount of defense points for LPs, so I will start by offering 1600 defense points to raise my LPs to 1700. Now I will use Legendary Hydra to destroy you Wroughtweiler.

Judai: Since Wroughtweiler was just sent to the graveyard, I can bring another hero and polymerization card back to my hand.

Demius: It matters not, for you are about to be obliterated. I end my turn now, and Legendary Hydra now gains more attack points, so his attack stands at 4000.

------_current status of duel (so you are know what the field looks like after all this)_

Demius's side of the field:

1 face-down card

Legendary Hydra (4000/4000) in atk mode

Twin-Headed Fire Chimera (2500/2500) in atk mode

Iron Colossus (900/1700) in def mode

Judai's side of the field:

1 face-down card

Rampart Mudman (3200/4000) in def mode

Judai: 800

Demius: 1700

------------------------------------

Demius: Now my hydra's attack is equal to your Rampart Mudman's defense. Just one more turn and I will be able to obliterate it. Not to mention my other monsters are becoming stronger as well.

Judai: Well one of those monsters will die this turn. (draws a card) You may have saved yourself another turn by gaining those LPs, but now your colossus is weak and I will destroy it easily. I activate polymerization and fuse E. Hero Avion with E. Burstinatrix to create E. Hero Flame Wingman (2100/1800). Now, go Flame Wingman, attack Iron Colossus!

Demius: I activate my face down card, Spell-binding Circle. This card stops your Flame Wingman from attacking and reduces his attack points.

Judai: _Darn, now my Flame Wingman (1050/900) is easy prey for any of those beasts._ I will throw down another face-down and then activate Rampart Mudman's special. I now end my turn.

Judai: 800

Demius: 100

Demius: (draws a card) I now summon Mythical Leviathan (3000/2000). I can summon him because one of his special abilities is that if there at least 3 mythical creatures on the field already, he may be summoned without sacrifice. Now I activate his other special ability. He can transfer all of his defense points to any monster on the field in defense mode, and I choose Iron Colossus (900/3700). I then activate the magic card Call of the Haunted to resurrect Heirosphinx (1600/1000) to the field. I play a card face-down and attack Flame Wingman with Legendary Hydra.

Judai: I activate my face down card Mirror Force. (laughs uncontrollably) You have so many monsters on the field that it is funny. Your entire myth army is about to be annihilated!

Demius: Wrong, for I activate my face-down card, Magical Absorber. This simply negates the effect of your trap card, so my monsters are left untouched, and your Flame-Wingman will be destroyed.

Judai: I activate my other face-down card Life Savior. This stops you from doing any LP damage this turn.

(Flame Wingman is destroyed)

Demius: Oh well, there is still nothing you can do. I activate the equip card Fortress Wall to Iron Colossus, which boosts my Iron Colossus's defense by 1000. Next I sacrifice 1700 defense points to gain LPs and end my turn. Iron Colossus now gains another 300 defense points (900/3300).

Judai: 800

Demius: 1800

Judai: (draws a card) Oh well, I will still take you down somehow. I play two cards face-down and summon Bubbleman in defense mode. Since he was the last card in my hand, I get to draw to two more cards. I activate Rampart Mudman's special and end my turn.

--------_status_

Judai: 800

Demius: 200

Demius's side of the field:

Legendary Hydra (5000/5000) in atk

Iron Colossus (900/3300) in def

Twin-Headed Fire Chimera (3500/3500) in atk

Mythical Leviathan (3000/0) in atk

Heirosphinx (1600/1000) in atk

One face-down

Judai:

E. Hero Rampart Mudman (3200/4000) in def

E. Hero Bubbleman (800/1200) in def

Two face-down cards

---------------------

Demius: My turn and it is the turn that I will defeat you. (draws a card) I activate Heirosphinx's special ability to summon Water Warrior (1000/500) in atk, but since I have 5 monsters on the field I will also have to sacrifice Heirosphinx. Then I will tribute Water Warrior, whose special ability is that if I tribute him to summon a water attribute monster, he counts as two sacrifices, to summon the Mythical Leviathus (3000/2000). Mythical Leviathus's special ability activates when Mythical Leviathan is also on the field. The two monsters gain 1500 attack points each. Then I activate Mythical Leviathus's other special ability which causes your monsters to be instantly destroyed if their attack points are lower than Mythical Leviathus's (4500/2000) attack. Unfortunately, activating this special forces me to attack only one time this turn, but either way you lose since your Rampart Mudman and Bubbleman have been destroyed.

Judai: _No, he destroyed my E. Hero Rampart Mudman. But I'm not out of this duel yet… he seems to have forgotten about my face-down cards._

Demius: Now, Legendary Hydra (5000/5000), end this duel by attacking Judai directly!

Judai: I activate Magical Cylinder which turns your attack straight back at you.

Demius: I activate Swiss Nullifier, which negates the effect of your trap card.

Judai: Well then I will activate my second trap card, Magical Absorber, which is a card you used so I'm sure you realize what this means – Legendary Hydra is destroyed.

Demius: NOOOO. You destroyed one of my strongest mythical beasts, and thus lowered Twin-Headed Fire Chimera's attack to 3000. I will now offer 600 defense points of Iron Colossus to raise my LPs, play one card face-down, and end my turn, thus raising my colossus's defense back to 3000

Judai: 800

Demius: 800

Judai: (draws a card) I summon another E. Hero Bubbleman (800/1200). Since he is the last card in my hand I draw two more cards, and since he is the only card on the field, I'm allowed to summon another monster to the field, and I choose E. Hero Clayman (800/2000). This was a good duel, but I'm afraid you've lost Demius. I play the magic card Ultimate Hero Destruction. By paying 750 LPs, having at least 5 Elemental Heroes in the graveyard, and sacrificing another monster from the field, I can instantly destroy every card, monster and magic/trap, on your side of the field. I sacrifice my E. Hero Clayman, so now your entire side of the field is open. Finally, go E. Hero Bubbleman! Attack Demius directly!

Judai: 50

Demius: 0

--------_end duel_

Demius then yells furiously and shouts, "NOOO, how could I have lost? Master, I beg forgiveness! Please… no… AARRAAHHGGH!"

Suddenly, the body of Demius was enveloped by the shadow creatures and he disappeared in the mass of crawling creatures. The purple cloud imploded and Judai knelt on one knee, exhausted from the long duel. Meanwhile, in a bush just a few feet away the servant gazed upon the scene.

"Strange… I never expected that boy to defeat Demius. If only I was allowed to challenge him to a shadow game… I would easily defeat him, and most probably in one turn with my special one-turn finish. But enough of that, I have a job to do," he mumbled. He was about to leap out of the bush when he noticed Aroc, and by the looks of it he wouldn't have to do anything because Aroc would take care of it – he hoped.

As Judai got up, he turned toward Asuka, eager to take her back to her dorm so that he could get back to his own for a good night's rest. His didn't know what time it was, but assumed that it was late. Then, suddenly he noticed the thing next to Asuka, Aroc. He'd forgotten about Aroc and was stunned to see him still there and was unsure of what to do. Asuka seemed to be in mild panic, clearly nervous and conscious of the pair of horns in prodding her forehead. Then, as the moonlight tilted, the shadows moved away from Aroc and his face was revealed. Both, Asuka and Judai gaped at the sight. What they saw was a pair of muscled legs with hooves attached to the ends them. above that was a buffed up chest area with large arms protruding from sides. There were no fingers, but just more hooves. And its face was that of a bull. Aroc was not human; he was a fully grown, strong-muscled minotaur.

--------------------------------_end chapter 4_

R&R please

Once again, sorry for delay of this chapter


	5. Chapter 5

-------- _Spirit of a Duelist_

-----------------

Note:

Once again, sorry for the delay. I don't have much time to write so expect only about 1 chapter per week or two because of my time restraint. This chapter is quite long too, so that contributed greatly to the time it took to complete this chapter.

Also, this chapter and the next is really like one long chapter, so this chapter is part A and continues to the next which is part B. The only reason I split it up is because the second part is taking a long time to write and I think I've made you wait long enough.

------------------

----------_Part A: Servant of the Shadows_

"Fool, thou mayest sent Demius to the realm of shadows, yet herest I remain. And I shalt keepeth thine feminine friend till thou besteth me," growled Aroc. "And thou hast a similar chance of mine challenge as thouest doest of besting the lord of the realm of shadows."

"Lord of the shadow realm…? Who is that?" questioned Judai.

"Never mind that for tis none of thine worry, yet tis shall be soon," said Aroc.

"Ugh, I can barely understand anything you are saying. You're talking really funny, like someone from a thousand years ago and it is giving me a headache," groaned Judai.

"Thou amuseth me quist. Wherefore dost thou playeth child-like games. Thou art none match for thine enemy, hence thou best and mayest give in now."

"I might not be able to understand most of what you way, but I did get that end part and let me tell you now; I never turn down a challenge, so prepare to duel!" said Judai.

Aroc started to laugh, though it sounded more like a muffled grunt. "Didst I ever say twas a duel? The challenge is to best me in a fight. If thou hast the courage, then stand else stand not before me and be sent along thine merry way," replied Aroc.

"W-What? A fight…?" stammered Judai. _I can't beat a bull in fighting, Aroc will destroy me, but I have to try. Maybe I can last long enough to think of a plan…_ "Okay Aroc, I accept your challenge!"

In the bushes nearby, the servant of the shadows was crouched in a position to observe the events. "What the…? That fool! He accepted the challenge! It seems I will have to take events into my own hands for Judai will be of no use to my master if he is dead. Aroc, you idiot, you could have kept your soul if not for your revengeful spirit. If only you did what you were supposed to do instead of trying to avenge Demius…," he murmured. Then suddenly, he snapped his wrist and a knife flew out of his hand. With a dull, barely audible thud, the blade sunk into Aroc's throat.

Judai stared with shock, for it seemed that a knife appeared out of nowhere and struck Aroc. That, however, was not what truly caught his interest. After he recollected himself, he noticed there was no blood, nor was Aroc in any pain. Instead, dark purplish waves erupted from the wound and slowed began encased Aroc.

"NO! You're there aren't you… come out and I will kill you M – ," Aroc wasn't able to complete his sentence as the shadows covered his face. An instant later, he vanished altogether, taking the purple waves and knife with him.

Just after Asuka felt the grip on her release, she heard a soft rustle a short distance off to her right. "Judai, I think there is someone watching. I just heard something in those bushes. Go find him or her and maybe we will figure out who the 'lord of the shadow realm' is and why this person or thing wants you," said Asuka. Then, after seeing the look on his face added, "Don't worry about me, I will be fine. I'm going to head back to the dorms and I will probably be in less danger that way because these people seem to want only you. I was just a hostage."

"Alright Asuka, just be careful." With that, Judai took off into the forest. Before long, he heard the rustling of leaves a couple meters in front of him. He was shortening the gap and intended to catch the runner before he escaped. "Hey! Stop!" he called.

He quickly cut down the last few yards separating the runner and he and leaped forward, catching a soft fabric and causing the runner to trip over himself. Judai smirked as he gazed down at the fallen man, for he was clearly human. "Gotcha! Now you better start providing me with some answers or else!"

"Or else what? What could you possibly do to me? I promise you that I can do things to you that are ten times worse than anything you could do to me," snarled the man.

"Oh ya? Well how does this sound: we duel and if I win you have to provide me the answers I want. If you win I will let you go," proclaimed Judai.

"Hmph… so be it, but I warn you I am not like the others. I am in a whole different league," warned the man.

"Good, a better challenge! Will you at least tell me who you are before we duel?" requested Judai.

"Haha, you are an amusing one. I am the servant of the lord of the shadows, and as for my name I will no be telling. Though if you win, I suppose I will have to if you ask for it then, but I wouldn't count on that," replied the man. "Now duel!"

Judai: 4000

Servant: 4000

Servant: I will let you go first.

Judai: Fine by me. I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600 /1200) in attack mode. Then I will throw down a face-down and end my turn.

Servant: You truly are pathetic. This duel is over. First, I activate the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon which allows me to destroy one magic or trap card on your side of the field. Since there is only one, I guess that is the one that will be destroyed. (Hero Illusion is destroyed Next I will summon Hayabusa Knight (1000/700) in attack mode.

Judai: What is the point of that? He has lower attack points than my Sparkman.

Servant: Shut up. I do not think I have ever seen such arrogance in a boy. I will teach you respect. I will now equip my knight with two Axes of Despair. Each one raises Hayabusa Knight's attack points by 1000, giving him a total of 3000 attack.

Judai: Oh… well I guess now there is a point.

Servant: (chuckles lightly) Now I will attack Sparkman with Hayabusa Knight.

(E. Hero Sparkman is destroyed)

Judai: 2600

Servant: 4000

Judai: Ugh, oh well. I will get even with you when it is my turn.

Servant: Sorry, but there will be no 'next turn' for you. Hayabusa Knight has a special ability. He can attack twice in one turn, so Hayabusa Knight, attack Judai again!

Judai: 0

Servant: 4000

Judai fell to his knees and stared at the floor in utter astonishment and embarrassment. "I l-lost i-in just a s-single turn… How could I have lost in one turn without even doing a single LP of damage?"

"I told you you were pathetic. Too bad this wasn't a shadow duel, for if it was all of my troubles would be over and your soul would belong to the shadows. Of course, I won't tell you why I couldn't challenge you to a shadow duel since you only get the answers if you won. Clearly, you didn't, so goodbye. For now…"

As the man leapt into the woods beyond view, Judai simply sat there on his knees, still as a statue. The bushes shifted nearby and Asuka, Shou, and Misawa came into the clearing and strolled up to Judai.

"I just found Shou and Misawa, they were looking for us. I just had to run all the way back here so I'm a little exhausted. Judai are you listening? Judai, are you okay? What happened? Your cards are scattered all over the floor and you look like you just saw a ghost!" panted Asuka with a worried look on her face.

"He beat me…"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Who beat you?" asked Misawa.

"The servant of the shadow lord, he beat me in a duel. I challenged him and he beat me in one turn. I was completely outclassed. He didn't even break a sweat defeating me," mumbled Judai.

"Stop groaning over it. It's okay if you lost because you can beat him next time. If he is part the group that is trying to take your soul, I'm sure you'll meet up with him again. It isn't as if you've never lost a duel," scolded Asuka.

"Besides, you were still able to tie with Kaiser, and since he is the best duelist in the academy, that makes you the best as well. You should be proud. Don't let just one lousy duel break your spirit Judai," said Misawa.

"Hey Judai, I know something that should cheer you up!" exclaimed Shou with glee. "Yugi Moto, the king of games himself, is coming here tomorrow afternoon!"

"What?" gasped Judai.

"That's right, and it is a perfect opportunity to become a better duelist and get some hints from Yugi himself," said Misawa. "Chronos told us that we could sign up to duel Yugi because Yugi offered to duel us and give advice to his opponents. Shou already signed you up, so you're all set."

"Awesome! I feel better already!" exclaimed Judai as he jumped up. "Come on, let's get back to the dorms. I'm going to need my rest for the duel tomorrow." The four of them were about to leave when Judai suddenly froze.

"Ehhhh… guys, I just realized my cards are still on the ground!" said Judai with a stupid grin on his face. "Just go ahead, I will catch up as soon as I pick up my cards. I can't believe I actually almost forgot them! I just got excited when you told me the great news."

"I will stay here and help Judai," said Asuka.

"Alright, see you back at the dorm," said Shou as he and Misawa turned around to run to their dorms, eager to get a good night's rest.

"Bye," shouted Asuka after them, waving. Then she turned back to Judai and bent down to help gather fallen cards. "So… this was an unusual date," laughed Asuka.

"Ya, I know. Those shadow duelists are really starting to annoy me, especially the one that just beat me. It seems like all they do is stalk me, challenge me, insult me, then lose to me, except for the servant who beat me," remarked Judai.

"The sooner we figure out who they really are the better."

Soon the cards were all safely placed back in Judai's deck box, without a single one missing. They then turned to face the forest and began the trek to the dorms. The distance was somewhat long, but neither felt bored or tired because they were enjoying each other's company. After about a half-hour, they reached a fork in the road.

"Well, I'm on the right," said Asuka, pointing to the large castle, now clearly visible over the treetops. "And I think Slypher is the other way, right?"

"Ya, the dorms are perched on a cliff-top," replied Judai.

The two stood there for while in silence, not yet ready to part each other's company. After a few moments of awkward stillness, Judai finally mustered up the courage to wrap his arms around Asuka. Asuka blushed and remained motionless for a few seconds, then responded by hugging him in return. Judai then broke the embrace, feeling contempt for the moment.

"Okay… ummmm… b-bye," he stammered as his cheeks began to change to a reddish hue.

Asuka smiled as her cheeks burned a red even brighter than Judai's. "Bye."

They parted as Asuka ran down the road to the right and as Judai strolled towards his own dormitory, staring up into the sky with his hands folded behind his head, counting the stars of his luck.

Continued in: _Part B: Duel of the brothers – Winged Kuriboh vs. Kuriboh_


	6. Chapter 6

---------- _Chapter 6 Spirit of a Duelist_

_Part B: Duel of the Brothers – Winged Kuriboh vs. Kuriboh_

CLONK

Judai awoke with a start and a surge of pain in his head threatened to overwhelm him. He almost fell back onto his bed but managed to stay sitting up. When he opened his eyes, he saw Manjome standing beside him with a pan raised in him right arm.

"Well, it's about time you woke up. I just thought I'd let you know that I've already dueled Yugi and I think you're on deck. Some kid from obelisk blue is dueling right now and when I left he had 750 LP's left," said Manjome. Judai, still drowsy, listened without too much interest. "Oh, and Kronos also said that if you aren't present when your duel begins you will automatically lose your chance to duel Yugi."

At this Judai suddenly jumped out of bed. "WHAT? Oh no, I hope I'm not too late!" he yelled as he leapt out the door. "Oh no oh no oh no, I'm going to miss it." Soon Judai was able to hear the applause of a large crowd just ahead.

Kronos's voice erupted throughout the island from a megaphone. "Next up, Yuki Judai!"

Upon hearing this, Judai put on an extra burst of speed, now desperately trying to reach the duel site in time.

"No Judai? Okay, ne –"

"Wait, I'm here!" panted Judai as he came into the clearing.

Kronos threw him an annoyed look of disappointment, and reluctantly pointed towards the steps leading up to the dueling grounds. Just over his shoulder, Judai could see the King of Games. His tall figure stood, arms crossed in an amused manner, patiently waiting for Judai. The large, spiked hair formed shadows that clung to the King's face, making it difficult to fully distinguish his facial features. He gazed at Judai in a peculiar and curious way, as if plunging through his memory searching for recognition.

Once Judai was in the duel box, he called out, "Hello Mr. Yugi sir! Wow, this is going to be great! I can't believe I'm actually going to get to duel the King of Games!"

"Yes, now I remember you. You were the boy to whom I gave my Winged Kuriboh. Yes, I am most curious to see how you have grown as a boy and as a duelist. I wonder if you have discovered the secret of the duel monsters…" said Yugi in a deep voice. Then, quietly to himself, muttered, "Being the chosen one, I hope you have because if you haven't you are going to meet a lot of trouble and not be able to get out of it."

"Ready? Judai will go first. Okay, Duel!" cried Kronos.

Judai: _This is going to be great!_ I'll start by playing 3 face-downs. Then I will activate Quick Strike. This spell card allows me to attack on my first turn as long as I discard a card from my hand. Now I summon Bubbleman (800/1200)! Since he is the only monster on the field, his special ability lets me draw two more cards. Also, since he was the last card in my hand, his other special activates and lets me summon another monster. I summon E Hero Avion (1000/1000)! Now, go Bubbleman and Avion, attack Yugi directly!

Judai: 4000

Yugi: 2200

Judai: Sweet, I might actually win this!

Yugi: I'm impressed Judai, but don't get overconfident. I will start by playing the card Reign of Doom. This card can be activated when I lose LPs during my first turn and causes our LPs to be switched.

Judai: 2200

Yugi: 4000

Judai: Darn it!

Yugi: Next I will summon Celtic Guardian (1400/1000) in attack mode. I will play a card face down and then attack Bubbleman.

Judai: I activate my trap card Hero Illusion! This negates the effect of your attack as long as I have an elemental hero on the field, and as you can see I have two! Now it is my turn and I will activate pot of greed which lets me draw two more cards. Then I will activate Skyscraper which raises the attack of my Elemental Heroes by 1000! Now, Avion (2000/1000) attack Celtic Guardian!

Yugi: I activate my face down Mirror Force! This reflects the attack right back at you and destroys all of your monsters.

Judai: Ah, no. I play A Hero Returns, which is a spell card that lets me bring a warrior monster from the graveyard back to the field and I choose Avion. I will now end my turn.

Yugi: First I will play two face-downs. Next I will play Mystical Space Typhoon which lets me destroy any magic or trap card you have on the field. I choose Skyscraper! Next I will use polymerization to summon Chimera the Mythical Beast (2200/1800). Go Chimera, attack Avion!

Judai: I activate my face-down Emergency Defense which lets me switch a monster that is currently in attack mode immediately to defense mode. Avion, switch to defense mode!

Yugi: Well played Judai, you have saved yourself from losing a vast amount of lifepoints. _It seems he has adequate dueling skills, however doesn't know the secret yet. I will need to keep testing his abilities to be sure though. I'd best not defeat him that quickly._ However, you will still lose some. I activate my face-down Vengeful Pike. This card activates whenever you activate a trap card and it forces you to lose LPs equal to half of your strongest monster's attack points plus 100 for every monster on the field. Thus, you lose 700 LPs.

Judai: 1500

Yugi: 4000

Judai: Okay, I've got to get my game on! Come on, I need a good card! _Draws a card_. Sweet! I play polymerization gate which allows fusions without a polymerization card. First I will fuse Avion with Burstinatrix to form Flame Wingman! Then I will fuse Sparkman as well to make Shining Flare Wingman (2800/2500)! Now I will attack Chimera the Mythical Beast!

Yugi: I will activate my face-down Defusion to split Chimera back into its two original forms!

Judai: In that case I will activate my last face-down card Triggered Destruction! This activates only when you use a spell card during my battle phase and destroys all monsters that you have on the field. Now I end my turn.

Yugi: You have become a strong duelist Judai, but seem to still be missing a key component.

Judai: Really? What is it?

Yugi: I'm afraid you will have to discover it for yourself. If I help it will mean nothing, but if you figure it out on your own it will unlock a new level of dueling and allow limitless potential.

Judai: Well it's all good with me!

Yugi: I will start by playing Card Rejuvination. This causes us to dump our hands into the graveyard and then allows both of us to draw until we have 5 cards in our hands.

_The two duelists draw their cards._

Yugi: Now I will activate Monster Reborn to reborn Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300/2100)! Then, using your polymerization gate I will fuse him with the Curse of Dragon in my hand to form Gaia the Dragon Champion (2600/2400)! I will put him in defense mode and then activate Horn of Light. This equip card raises his defense by 800 points to give him 3200 defense points.

Judai: Sweet, my turn! I will play the card Hero's Sidekick. This card raises the attack power of an Elemental Hero by 500 points, giving my Shining Flare Wingman 3300 attack points! Now go kill Gaia the Dragon Champion!

Yugi: You have triggered my trap Spell-Binding Circle! It stops your monster from either attacking or switching positions. His attack power is also reduced by half!

Judai: No, my wingman has been trapped! I have no choice but to activate my Defusion card to recreate Sparkman, Avion, and Burstinatrix. Next I will summon Wroughtweiler to the field in defense mode and end my turn.

Yugi: First I will switch my Gaia into attack mode. Then I will summon Mammoth Graveyard (1200/1000) in attack mode. Mammoth, attack Wroughtweiler!

Judai: Excellent, now I can bring back an Elemental Hero back from the grave to my hand and I choose Bubbleman.

Yugi: Don't think I'm done yet. Gaia attack his Sparkman!

Judai: I activate my face-down card, Hero Illusion. I'm sure you remember what it does.

Yugi: Yes, I do. I will play one face down card and end my turn.

Judai: Ok, let's see what I get. _Draws a card._ I play the card Time Machine. It lets me pick any card that has been used in this duel and return it to my hand, and I pick Skyscraper. I will then activate Skyscraper, and then refuse my Avion, Burstinatrix, and Sparkman to bring back my Shining Flare Wingman. Now I will destroy Gaia the Dragon Champion with Shining Flare Wingman.

Yugi: So you've finally managed to bring him down have you?

Judai: And that isn't all either. My Wingman's special ability causes you to take additional LP damage equal to your destroyed monster's attack points! I'll throw down a face-down and call it a turn.

Judai: 1500

Yugi: 1200

Yugi: Impressive Judai, but now it is my turn. I will start by playing the spell card Graceful Elf, which lets me draw four cards. However, I must discard two. Now I will play Instrumental Tribute. This spell card allows me to lower the number of tributes required to summon a monster by 1 as long as I discard a monster card from my hand. However, it is still a little more complicated. You see, if the monster I am summoning requires two tributes, the number of stars of the discarded monster plus the number of stars of the tributed monster must be greater than the number of stars of the summoned monster. I will be sacrificing my Mammoth Graveyard and discarding another Curse of Dragon in my hand so that I can summon the almighty Dark Magician (2500/2100)!

Judai: So that is the legendary and rare Dark Magician! I was hoping to see him in this duel! By the way, will you trade something for him?

Yugi: _Laughs_. No, sorry Judai, but I will never trade for Dark Magician. There is nothing in the universe I would trade Dark Magician for. He has been my companion through countless duels and is my most trusted monster.

Judai: Awww, bummer. No problem though I guess. Let's just get back to the duel, I'm really eager to see what he can do.

Yugi: Don't worry, you will. But first I will play the equip spell card Rage of the Mage and equip Dark Magician. This raises his attack points by 500 points per spellcaster in the graveyard. I have one so far, Ancient Elf, so it raises my D Magician's attack by 500! I will now attack your Shining Flare Wingman!

Judai: Not so fast, I activate my face-down card Hallucination. This activates whenever you try to attack one of my monsters and stops the monster from being destroyed. However, I lose double the amount of LPs.

Judai: 1100

Yugi: 1200

Yugi: I will lay one card face down and end my turn.

Judai: My turn now, and I choose to summon E Hero Wildman (1500/1000) in attack mode. Then I'll activate Suicidal Savior. This spell card doubles my Wildman's attack points and lets him attack your LPs directly, but only his original attack points are done to you as damage and playing this card forces me to end my turn immediately. Unfortunately, Wildman (3000/1000) is also destroyed as soon as I decide to attack with him. But this won't matter because next turn I can attack and you will lose this duel!

Yugi: I see, it is an interesting predicament. However, I will destroy your Wildman before he even has a chance to attack. I will start by summoning Silverfang (1200/1000) in attack mode. Now I will activate the card Black Chaos Ritual! Now prepare yourself, for I will first offer Silverfang as a sacrifice. Then my Dark Magician will be sacrificed to unleash the powers of chaos magic! Meet the king of all spellcasters, Chaos Magician (3200/3000)! Also, the equip card on Dark Magician, Rage of Mage, has an additional effect. Whenever the monster it was equipped to is sacrificed for another monster, if the new monster is a spellcaster Rage of Mage automatically equips to the new monster. Also, since now another spellcaster is in the graveyard, its effect is increased to 1000 points, thereby giving Chaos Magician a total of 4200 attack points!

Judai: 4200! That is insane! _I've only got one monster than can top to that… and I am just one card away from being able to create him._

Yugi: Now prepare yourself; Chaos Magician attack E Hero Wildman!

Judai: I activate my trap card Woboku! This negates all LP damage done to me during this turn.

_Wildman is destroyed_

Yugi: You have saved yourself a turn I see… Well then this will just get more interesting. Unless you draw something to save your Shining Wingman, you will lose next turn.

Judai: Okay, it all comes down to this… I have got to get the card I need… _Draws a card._ And it is a …Graceful Elf! So I will play it and draw four cards and then discard two. _Sweet!_ I will start by activating Defusion to split my Shining Flare Wingman back into Avion, Burstinatrix, and Sparkman. Then I will summon my E Hero Bubbleman back to the field. Now here's the sweet part. I will fuse all of them together to form E. Hero Elementrix (3100/2500)!

Yugi: _It seems that he does not know his own power, but instinctively calls on it… However his dueling ability is still not comparable to what it will be once he controls his power…_

Judai: Now I will equip him with Elemental Reaper! This card only works on Elementrix and it doubles his attack points! Elementrix, destroy Chaos Magician with Elemental Slash!

Yugi: It seems that you have been able to do what only one other person was able to do long ago… you have bested the Chaos Magician! However, he will not go down without a fight. I activate my trap card Self-Destruct. This card will double the attack points of the targeted monster and cause it to self-destruct. Any monster on the field whose attack is lower than his is instantly destroyed. Also, you lose LPs just as if I attacked you.

Judai: I activate Emergency Provisions and discard a card from my hand. Now I gain 1000 LPs.

Yugi: That was very quick thinking Judai, and as a result you have yet again been able to save yourself a turn.

Judai: 900

Yugi: 1200

Judai: Yes but just barely. I'm now wide open for attack!

Yugi: draws a card _Ah, it is my friend and comrade._ I must say, there is one card that perhaps means more and is closer to me than my Dark Magician. I summon Kuriboh (300/200) to the field! Attack Judai directly!

Judai: 600

Yugi: 1100

Judai: Its my turn! draws a card Well it seems like we both have something in common! It happens that my comrade is Kuriboh's brother. I'm sure you remember this card very well, as it is you who gave it to me! I summon Winged Kuriboh (300/200)! I will play one face down card. It seems we are both out of cards in our hands!

Yugi: laughs yes, it does. This has become a fight between the brothers. Kuriboh versus Winged Kuriboh. This duel is now dependant completely on who trusts their monster more.

Judai: What does that mean?

Yugi: You will see soon enough. draws a card I will activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. smiles Now, Judai, watch closely as I create the ultimate defense which can withstand any attack. I will first activate Multiply! This causes 5 Kuribohs to form. Next I will activate Endless Life! This card can only be used when Multiply is activated. From now on, every time a Kuriboh is destroyed, two will be born to replace it and Kuribohs no longer count towards the 5 monster cap limit! Now I will send my first Kuriboh to attack Winged Kuriboh!

Judai: I activate Mirror Force to destroy all of your Kuribohs!

Yugi: You have saved your Winged Kuriboh, but now I have 10 Kuribohs!

Judai: draws a card and smiles Well it seems that I have drawn Winged Kuriboh's favorite card, Godly Angel Wings! By equipping it to Winged Kuriboh, his attack is raised to 600 and defense to 500. Also, he can automatically destroy all of your monsters!

Yugi: Wow, you have destroyed all 10, but merely spawned 20 now!

Judai: I'm not finished yet. Lastly I will use the wings' last ability. Winged Kuriboh attack your LPs directly every time I destroy all of your monsters, so you lose 600 LPs!

Judai: 600

Yugi: 600

Yugi: Impressive, but now I will show you the true potential of the Kuriboh. There is a secret to the Kuriboh monster that few people know about. When 20 are out on the field, they can be fused together to form King Kuriboh (3000/2900)!

Judai: What the heck! That giant Kuriboh has 3000 attack points!

Yugi: chuckles But that is not all. Since 20 Kuriboh were just destroyed in the fusion process, 40 are created. Now I will fuse 2 sets of 20 to form 2 more Kuriboh Kings. This of course spawns 80 Kuriboh! Since I may only have 5 monsters other than Kuriboh, I can only create 3 more Kuriboh Kings.

Judai: starts gaping at the massive blob of puff balls in front of him

Yugi: Now I will show you the second secret of the Kuriboh. 5 Kuriboh Kings can fuse into the almighty Dragon Kuriboh (10000/9500)! Of course, I just opened up 4 slots, so I think I will fuse my remaining 20 Kuriboh into Kuriboh King. Then since 40 more just spawned, I will fuse them as well. Now 80 are created and 20 of those will go to forming the last Kuriboh King. This is the full power of the Kuriboh!

Judai: …. looking completely dumbfounded and in awe

Yugi: I gave you Winged Kuriboh for a reason. You alone have the power and potential to unlock his secret. The only hint I can offer you is that it will greatly compliment your Hero deck… For now, I will let you feel the wrath of the Dragon Kuriboh, 4 Kuriboh Kings, and 60 Kuriboh. Kuribohs ATTACK!

_Huge puffball swarm masses around Judai and completely obliterates every thing around him._

As the holograms disappeared, Judai's ears nearly fell off when he heard the roar of applause. He quickly looked around him to find the source when he noticed the large crowd of students that were sitting in the stands. He had been so caught up in the duel that he forgot that there was an audience.

"End Duel! The victor is Mr. Yugi Moto, the King of Games!" announced Kronos.

Judai turned towards Yugi and caught his eye for a brief moment before yelling out, "WOW! That was an awesome duel Mr. Yugi Sir!"

"It was my pleasure Judai. Just remember what I taught you," replied Yugi.

As Judai stepped off the duel podium he was greeted by Misawa, Asuka, and Shou.

"Hey guys, save your compliments and or criticism because I'm going to eat. I just remembered that I skipped breakfast!"

"So as soon as your not dueling, the first thing that your mind comes to is food?" chucked Asuka.

"What can I say? I gotta eat don't I?"

Everyone laughed at this and followed Judai out of the stadium. As he ran out, he glanced back towards Yugi, already reshuffling his deck for the next student dueler and saw him meet his eye and smile.


End file.
